Seven Years of the Dragon
by griffindork93
Summary: Natsu has the true powers of a dragon, and now he must learn to use them. Who better to teach him than Igneel, who he learned Dragon Slayer Magic from to begin with. This is a companion story to A Dragon's True Purpose and it's going to cover the seven years Natsu spends training with his father.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a companion story to A Dragon's True Purpose. I don't know how long it will be, but I thought it would be fun to write about the years Natsu spends, separated from his mate but reunited with his father, training for his ultimate confrontation with Zeref. **

* * *

Natsu smiled contently in his sleep, curling himself so that he was pressed comfortably against the softer underside of his father's forelimb. It was a familiar position for the pink haired man, who had slept the same way as a child. He crawled all over the dragon, with a smile brighter than the sun, and proudly said that in his arms was the most comfortable place to sleep.

Igneel cracked one eye open to check on the human wizard that called him father. It was interesting, having a human for a son, but Igneel would never regret taking the young boy under his wing when he found him wandering the forest.

There had been a fire in the boy, stubbornly putting one foot in front of the other in search of someone named Ritsuka. Although he was more stumbling than walking by the time he came across Igneel.

The young boy, two years at the oldest, had been wandering in the forests a week before he accidentally came upon the dragon that hid there.

Dragons had withdrawn from the world of wizards centuries ago, after the Dragon Civil War, swearing to never again teach a human the secrets of their magic. Igneel did not agree with the decision. One man's bad choice did not reflect for all of humanity. But the other Dragon Kings had voted, so all dragons were forced into hiding.

They claimed it was for their safety, to protect dragonkind from Acnologia, but the truth was the dragons were afraid of being driven to extinction by humans that wanted power like Acnologia.

Igneel had never shared that truth with his son, and he never would. To Natsu, it was unthinkable that a wizard would want to kill a dragon. Telling him otherwise would ignite his protective instincts, and Natsu needed to focus on defeating the Black Dragon at the time, not defending a dragon that didn't need it.

The second time he had hid, and subsequently abandoned Natsu, the dragon truly was hiding from Acnologia. For if Acnologia discovered him teaching the same abilities he wielded to a human, the Black Dragon would have killed Natsu.

Igneel had found his new home in a forested mountain, and he waited patiently, over three hundred years to be precise, for the fear to die down, for dragons to be forgotten and become creatures of myths and legends, and then he searched for a wizard with the strength to rise up against Zeref and the beast he created.

But after a hundred years of fruitless searching, the Flame Dragon King was ready to give up his mission as a lost cause. Acnologia must have been unique amongst mortals. Or Zeref was more dangerous than he wanted to admit. Either way, Igneel could not find a human he could teach his secrets to.

And just when he had given up and admitted defeat, Natsu had come along.

Small, pink, and loud, obnoxiously so, the boy had found him. He had tripped over his tail, landing flat on his face. Then he jumped up, screeching as if he had been personally offended, "You stupid rock! Just you wait and see! One day, I'll be the strongest wizard ever, and when I am, I'll come back and break you!"

Igneel had snorted, amused. He had never been mistaken for a rock before.

Natsu had scrambled back, the white of his eyes widening. "Woah, a talking rock. Cool! What's your name, rock? Mine's Natsu!"

"Igneel," the dragon rumbled, shifting to turn in the direction of the young boy. "And I am not a rock."

If Natsu's eyes were wide before, it was nothing compared to when he actually caught sight of what he tripped over. Igneel stood, his head a height of eighty feet up from the ground. With a single exhale, he lit a pine tree on fire.

Natsu took the dragon in with a sense of wonder. "A dragon!" he whispered. "I thought you guys were fairy tales."

The dragon huffed, releasing a billow of dark smoke from his nostrils. "No, human. We are real; just content to live in anonymity away from your kind."

"Dragons are strong, right? Can you make me as strong as you?" he asked. "I'm going to be the strongest wizard ever," Natsu repeated, puffing out his chest.

Igneel looked down at the boy, considering. All these years, he had been looking for a grown human, one that would be capable of using the power he would bestow upon them responsibly and one that would recognize the danger of learning Dragon Slayer Magic. Had he been coming at the problem from the wrong angle? Would it be better to start with a blank slate, a child that knew nothing?

"Prove yourself to me," Igneel decided, "and I will see that no wizard can match you."

He would guarantee that. If this was the opportunity he had been waiting for, Igneel was going to sink his claws into it. This boy would be the one end their problems and save the world.

Natsu gawked at him. "How am I s'posed to do that?"

Igneel laid back down, pointedly putting his back to the boy. "That, human, is for you to decide."

"My name is Natsu," he scowled. It was a cute look for a two year old.

"If you want me to call you by name, prove yourself."

And how amusing were his attempts. Igneel did not react when Natsu brought back a wild pig he had killed by hurling stones. The kid had remarkably good aim and strength for his age, the dragon noted, taking in the six gouge marks on the animal's head. Nor was he impressed by his attempt to block the entrance to his cave. It had been a dismal attempt, for the boy would have never found enough fallen branches to complete his task, and rather annoying at that, because Igneel could not understand how the boy thought that to be proving himself. Unless he thought Igneel meant for Natsu to trap him.

And so it continued. For a week straight, Natsu did everything a two year old could think of to prove himself to the mighty dragon. Every snort of derision and scathing remark from Igneel only pushed him to try harder on his next scheme.

At the end of a week, Igneel called a stop to his attempts to prove himself. "Enough!" he bellowed. "No more of this!" He slammed his tail into the ladder Natsu had built so he could climb the cave wall and leap atop the dragon's head.

The shoddily built wooden structure collapsed.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted. "I wasn't done with that!"

"I have had enough of your foolishness." The child reared back like Igneel had struck him. For a second, the dragon felt guilty for scaring the boy. Then he steeled himself. He had to test Natsu. Another weak-willed human would not learn their magic and turn it against the dragons.

"Just let me have one more chance," the pink haired boy begged.

Igneel stood his ground against the puppy dog eyes. "No," he said firmly. "I have given you more than enough chances. All you have done with them is annoy me."

Natsu glared. "Then 'splain what you want me to do. I'll do anything."

"Go back to your humans," ordered Igneel.

The boy's voice was quiet when he answered. "I don't have no one to go back to."

"LEAVE ME!" the dragon roared with a spurt of fire to scare him. Natsu fled the cave in tears and Igneel settled himself on the ground despondently. He had hoped the boy would ignore his fears and stay. Perhaps it was too much for him to ask of such a young boy. It was only natural that he would run from an angry dragon.

Igneel lasted maybe an hour before his guilt drove him out of his cave in search of the boy he had terrified. He had only meant to test his courage, for he would need it for this undertaken, not to drive Natsu away.

There was a weight as something landed on his head, scrabbling at the scales for balance.

The dragon instinctively threw his head back and tossed it from side to side to knock it off. The thing latched onto a loose scale and Igneel roared in pain as his thrashing threatened to rip it clean off.

Igneel ceased his wild tossing. The thing scrambled across his head and he caught a flash of pink as it slid down his brow and onto the bridge of his nose, where it threw its arms around the horn at its tip.

Natsu swung around his horn, short arms bulging as he hung in front of the dragon's upper jaw. "I caught you, Igneel! Now you have to teach me."

The dragon carefully lowered his head to the ground before the boy's arms became weak and his lost his grip. Staring Natsu down with one yellow eye, he agreed. Natsu had surprised him. The boy had not given up after all, just developed a plan that finally worked. "Very well, child—"

"Nastu," the boy interrupted fiercely. "You promised to use my name. And my name is Natsu Dragneel."

"Dragneel, is it?" Igneel questioned. Natsu nodded strongly. That was bold of the boy, claiming the dragon as his last name. "Very well, then, Natsu Dragneel. I shall make you the strongest wizard that ever lived."

The newly named Natsu Dragneel beamed up at the massive dragon with a toothy smile and threw his left arm over Igneel's snout. "Thank you, Igneel. You won't 'gret this, I promise."

Igneel had smiled, nudging the boy into his cave and let him curl up against his front leg where he would be provided warmth throughout the night. And Igneel had not regretted his decision to raise Natsu. In fact, he couldn't be prouder of his son. He had grown and learn so much since Igneel had started him on breathing flames and reading and writing.

"Igneel."

Said dragon looked down at his resting son once more, but Natsu had only murmured his name in his sleep. Igneel would have been surprised if the boy was awake already. Mavis had said it would take time before Natsu recovered from his battle with Acnologia.

But Natsu continued to mutter his name, and then he opened his eyes and realized that his father was wrapped around him.

* * *

Natsu inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar and comforting scent of ashes that he associated with Igneel.

Igneel.

All of his memories from Tenrou Island flooded his mind. Acnologia. Erza's pain. The thought that he was dead and his relief that he was not. And the despair when Mavis Vermillion told him he still had to fight Zeref.

That's right. Mavis had said his father was coming for him. He vaguely remembered being cradled in the fire dragon's talons.

But where had Igneel taken him? His eyes felt heavy and now that he was conscious, Natsu could feel the ache assaulting every part of his body and now that he was awake, he also wasn't numb to the pain and he groaned. His entire body felt like it was on fire and simultaneously being stuck by a thousand needles. He didn't know how long it had been since his battle, but Natsu could tell that he was still dangerously low on magic.

"Natsu? How are you feeling, young dragon?"

He groaned again. "Like I've been pulverized by a monstrous dragon."

"I suppose that would be accurate," Igneel laughed deeply. "Not that I can empathize."

Natsu would have leapt to his fight swearing to beat the dragon into the ground for laughing at him if he could move. But seeing as he couldn't, he settled for telling him to shove off.

"Do not strain yourself, my son. Grandeeney, will be here soon."

Natsu mumbled something unintelligible. He knew that name, but he was in too much agony to put a face to it, and he was pulled back into darkness.

* * *

A white dragon landed on the craggy and scorched landscape. 'Igneel would return to this volcanic region,' she thought.

Grandeeney was quite unlike her fellow dragons. Instead of scales, her body was covered with thick tissue like the keratin of bird's legs. Her feet resembled a bird's talons as well. Then there was her head. Her skull was rather broad and flat, and it was covered in fur that extended down to the top of her chest.

"I'm here, Igneel," she called out. A plume of smoke was her answer, rising from a sea of rocks. Grandeeney maneuvered her way through the igneous rocks. She let her eyes rove over Igneel's foster son. The physical injuries did not require her assistance, but she was not sure there was anything she could do for the damage Natsu had done to his magical core.

She told him as much. "The injury to his core may be incurable." Wizards were not supposed to compress their magic inside themselves and release it all at once. "But I will see what I can do."

"Thank you," Igneel said.

Grandeeney lowered herself to the boy's level, digging her claws into the rock so that he was under her foot. From there, she let her magic seep out and directed it into his body. It would be a long night of healing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait. This semester was rather rough. Organic chemistry was the hardest course I've ever taken. But now that school's over I have plenty of time to right. This is the first of many chapters to come. And hopefully, next semester will leave with time to write so that you don't have to wait more than a month for an update.**

* * *

The valley around her trembled as yet another volcano exploded. The eruptions had been fairly periodic, becoming more frequent as time passed. The air was already thick with the fragments of pulverized rock, minerals and volcanic glass that composed volcanic ash. The heat rising off the continuously flowing lava was of no consequence, however. The blistering heat of the craggy mountains that Igneel had taken refuge in was already well over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The additional warmth from the magma was negligible, making no more difference than as if a human had put on a sweater.

Not to mention, as the Sky Dragon, Grandeeney could manipulate the air around her, pushing the scorching air up into the atmosphere, leaving behind fresh, unpolluted, cool air.

"You're lucky the child is a Fire Dragon Slayer or he'd be dead!" she snapped at the dark red dragon hovering so closely nearby that he was practically on top of her. Fire Dragon Slayer, her patient may have been, but she was certain that even the boy had to have limits to the heat he could endure.

Igneel snorted angrily, steam billowing out of his nostrils, in response but otherwise remained silent. Grandeeney had verbally lashed out at him earlier. Thirty-seven minutes ago to be precise. The last time a volcano erupted. He had no desire to force her to even remotely split her concentration. Not while his son's life was at risk.

The Flame Dragon King's rage, pain, and fear were wreaking havoc on his magical control. He directed the wild magic into the surrounding mountain full of molten rock and highly explosive gases. Volcanos that had long since been considered dormant, to the humans anyway, exploded once more, fueled by Igneel's magic.

After the first dozen eruptions, Grandeeney had learned to block them out, except for the particularly violent ones that did not cease their eruption after a few minutes. Any time one of those eruptions occurred, the Sky Dragon shot a reprimand at Igneel to better control himself or risk burying the three of them beneath a river of lava.

Igneel had actually paused to consider the suggestion, although Grandeeney had not intended it to be one. Compared to other wizards, Dragon Slayers healed at a faster rate, much like they could replenish their magic faster by consuming their element. Maybe incasing his son in lava would speed up his recovery.

Grandeeney had shot him a particularly withering glare for that idea. Her choice of words left his ears ringing.

But, the longer the process of healing Natsu took, the more impatient his father became, causing more volcanoes to spew clouds of black ash as their fiery rivers flowed downhill to either be eaten by Igneel or collected in a pit the dragon so fit to dig so Natsu would have a ready source of fire available when he regained consciousness. It was a cycle that Igneel had long lost control of.

Her attention was on the young boy that Igneel had claimed as his son. Pink hair stuck out from his head in every which direction. Physically, he was the picture of perfection. Toned muscles, from his biceps to his sculpted abdominals, worth drooling over and a strong jaw showing off his stubbornness. Hours previously he had been a mess of injuries. A motley mix of blackened skin, pulverized bones, and a pair of magically enforced dragon lungs that threatened to collapse with every wheezy breath.

The results of Natsu forcibly compressing every ounce of his own magic inside him until it exploded from the immense pressure being exerted on it were disastrous. Magic was meant to flow, not to be confined. The idea was nothing short of foolish, although Grandeeney could think of several more choice words to describe his actions.

Insane. Ludicrous. Preposterous. Asinine. Half-baked. Irrational. Senseless. Harebrained. Moronic. All of them together were not enough to adequately describe how ill-advised and ill-thought Grandeeney considered his plan to be. Each word on its own simply wasn't strong enough to encompass just how stupid the dragon thought the plan was.

The boy was lucky to have survived the explosion so that the ghost of Mavis could put him in a stasis until she arrived.

Natsu's magical bomb had dealt him severe physical injuries, but healing them was easier than flying compared to the sheer damage he had done to his magical core. Healthy skin cells could be encouraged to grow and split at a faster rate, quickly replacing the charred, black, dead flesh with new, healthy, pink skin. His bones could be lengthened, reformed, and knitted back together and his lungs stabilized and reinforced with her naturally soothing magic.

She dared say that his next Roar of the Fire Dragon would surprise him with its size and ferocity.

Fixing his magical core was not so easy. The force of his magic exploding had ripped his coils to shreds and then burned the remaining pieces until they shriveled and were burnt away completely. There was nothing left of his coil.

With no coils to conduct and direct his magic, the natural magic that still steadily flowed into him ravaged his body. Grandeeney had to repair him internally and then shield his internal organs, bones, and the like to prevent the wild magic degenerating her work.

For any wizard healer, mutilation of this magnitude would be incurable. If it was up to humans, Natsu would never be a wizard again.

But Grandeeney was a dragon. And the Sky Dragon at that, renown amongst her kind for her amazing talent for healing. A talent she had passed on to a wizard much like Igneel had. Little Wendy, had Grandeeney not been forced to abandon her in an illusionary guild, might have been able to heal Natsu.

There was a sharp pang as she thought of the little wizard she had been forced to abandon. Wendy was such a delightful child, and despite her young age she had had no trouble grasping the most difficult kind of magic.

Grandeeney was firm on that. No matter what other dragons might say, it was infinitely hard to fix than it was to destroy. But Wendy had learned marvelously, taken to it so well that one might say that Sky Dragon Slayer Magic chose her.

The Sky Dragon wondered how her pseudo-daughter was doing. She had not keep track of Wendy in her exile, afraid that she would return to the girl's side and bring down the wrath of the Dragon King upon them.

But she digressed. The white dragon had taken painstaking care over the period of seventeen hours to rebuild the dragon slayer's coils. There was nothing that could be done for his previous ones, so she directed her magic to removing what remained of them.

Had she not ensured that Natsu was unconscious with no chance of waking until she permitted it, Grandeeney had no doubt he would be shrieking his agony for all of Fiore to hear. As it was, he reclined peacefully, looking for all the world as if he was merely sleeping.

This was the first time she had ever dared to do a procedure like this. Completely obliterating his previous magical core and rebuilding had to be excruciating. In order for him to use magic again, Grandeeney had to, inch by inch, regenerate the coils that his magic flowed through.

Instead of simply structuring them after his human coils, which had been enough when Natsu was just a Dragon Slayer, Grandeeney remodeled Natsu's coils. His human coils had simply been incapable of confining the wild magic to them, a task that his new coils might be better equipped to handle. They would now be an exact replica of a dragon's magical coils. Only time and trial would tell if he was capable of adapting to the change.

The Sky Dragon carefully retracted her talons from the dense, unyielding rocks, the green glow of her healing magic vanishing as she withdrew her foreleg. "I have done all I can, Igneel. I used the residual Ethernano to reconstruct his new coils. Without the pure magic lodged in every cell of his body, he will be just like any other dragon slayer—"

Igneel snorted, amusedly this time, at her proclamation. "Natsu will never be comparable to the other dragon slayers."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "In such that he is only able to consume his element. In fact, it was for the best that he had not tried to eat another dragon slayer's element. Undoubtedly I would not have been able to use the Ethernano as I had if he had done so." Grandeeney finished her explanation.

"But he is completely healed?" Igneel asked, concerned. "He will still be able to cast magic?"

Grandeeney nodded her feathered head. "Yes," she assured the other dragon. "What he is capable of doing is entirely up to Natsu and how far he is willing to push himself. His core is that of a dragon's, now. Given what I've witnessed of him, his tenacity will serve him well."

Igneel stared at her intently, but said nothing as he digested her words. His son was more dragon-like now than he had become as a consequence of his eating the Ethernano. For, while he had had dragon slayer magic, senses, scales, and the ability to morph into a dragon, Natsu's magic was still human. Now he was a dragon wearing the shell of a human.

He worried that the veil between his human and dragon halves was growing thinner. Were these new coils good for him? What if his will wasn't strong enough? Would Natsu permanently become a dragon?

Igneel loved his son dearly, an emotion he had not planned on when he first started teaching the young boy dragon slayer magic. He had only meant to teach the boy the necessary skills to defeat Zeref and Acnologia.

Looking at his prone form, wearing a grin that took over his entire face and had him lighting up in joy even under Grandeeney's sleep spell, Igneel couldn't help but think he had done his son irreparable harm. It should have been him lying there, gravely injured with sketchy chances for survival. Why should his son suffer the consequences of his plans and ambitions?

"If that is all, Igneel," she said, gracefully rising to her full height, and he nodded, his thoughts a world away. "Then I shall be off to visit my own child. It has been so many years since I've laid eyes on dear Wendy. Take care, old friend," Grandeeney finished meaningfully, glancing at the boy protectively ensconced behind his forelegs.

He tracked Grandeeney as she unfurled her wings, stretching them out to their full wingspan of forty-two feet and pumping them hard to push off the ground. Gold eyes followed her form until she resembled a shooting star moving across an inky black sky. He left his question unvoiced because he did not have the courage to hear the answer. An answer that he already knew to be true in his heart. An answer confirmed by Grandeeney's parting words.

And if Natsu lost control . . . If the dragon over powered the human . . .

It would tear his heart in two, but if Natsu could not assert his dominance over his animalistic side, Igneel would not hesitate. He could not afford to.

For the good of all magic users alike, he would destroy his son if it looked like he would become a second Acnologia.


	3. Chapter 3

Igneel watched his son closely. It did not appear that his son would go down the same path as the once human Acnologia, but it had only been two months since Grandeeney had completely rebuilt his magical coils. True to who he was, however, Natsu was training with a greater than anticipated ferocity. It was only in the last three weeks that Igneel had permitted him to start training. Natsu had complained excessively and loudly about his ban on magic, but Natsu needed to adjust to his new coils before he started using them.

Well, Natsu's tenacity wasn't too surprising. The young dragon slayer had never been one to back down from a fight. Especially when the lives' of his guild mates were at stake. With every battle he fought and each new opponent he faced, Natsu evolved.

At first, the boy had been shocked to hear that the damage to his original coils had been irreparable. It had been a hard blow to the teen, who assumed that Igneel had meant he could no longer use magic. He had calmed once his father informed him Grandeeney rebuilt them.

But, for the longest moment of his life, Natsu felt lost. Even more so than the time he had envisioned his own funeral. Then, he would have died as Natsu, the Fire Dragon Slayer, one of Fairy Tail's finest wizards sacrificing his life for one of his nakama.

His magic defined him. He was Fairy Tail's Salamander. If he no longer had it, then who was he? He could not protect Erza without magic. He couldn't be part of the guild without his magic.

Natsu shook his head resolutely. He couldn't think like that. Gramps would consider him one of his children even if he never used magic again. He could always call Fairy Tail home. He hated the idea of it, but he could live without his magic power. It was more important that he was alive than that Natsu had magic.

That didn't mean he was happy by any means with the situation.

"Damn!" Natsu shouted, punching the ground in frustration. He knew it would be difficult to control his new coils. Igneel had warned him that the wild natural magic of dragons would be infinitely harder for him to learn than normal Dragon Slayer magic.

He had scoffed. He was older now, more mature and experienced. There was no way that he would struggle with casting spells he had been using since he was five.

Unbelievably, Natsu was struggling. His control was gone. No, it was nonexistent. He couldn't even do something as simple as encase his fist in flames. Even his Fire Dragon's Roar, which required no control to speak of, simply becoming stronger when more magic was used, wasn't working for him. Instead, the fire dripped from his lips like drool.

Not to mention he had a habit of accidentally transforming part of his body into his dragonoid form.

Natsu despaired at ever re-mastering his Dragon Slayer magic. His new coils were too animalistic, too instinctual.

But he was going to persevere. He'd regain control of his magic. He had to. Because he wasn't done yet. Zeref was still out there and he needed to protect Erza and the rest of the guild.

One of his training methods involved Igneel sending palm sized rocks in his direction with a flick of his tail. Natsu was supposed to blast them out of the air with the smallest ball of fire he could make. However, the dragon launched them with such speed that his magic reacted before Natsu did, creating walls of fire to protect him.

Natsu looked up at him, eyes shadowed by his pink locks. "What am I doing wrong? I never had this much trouble controlling my magic before." His dark eyes were shiny from unshed tears.

"Perhaps that is your problem, my son," Igneel rumbled.

The pinkette moved so that he was sitting cross-legged. "What?" he asked blankly.

"You are trying too hard to restrain your inner dragon. It's no longer just the dragon's power within you, but the dragon itself. You are not just a dragon slayer. You are a dragon now and you must be in harmony with that part."

Natsu frowned at that theory. "I thought I already was on that level," he said. "I already accepted my dragon half."

"Accepting is not the same as being equals." Igneel answered. "Before your fight with Acnologia, you were still he master, so to speak. As the stronger of the two personas, you had control. You could call on your dragon nature whenever you wished. You were still Natsu, just in the shape of a dragon. Now the dragon is the same strength. You must merge both parts of yourself if you ever want to use your magic."

Natsu pressed his fingertips into his forehead, feebly attempting to stave off a headache. His dragon was no longer just an inner dragon but its own person? That didn't make any sense. The dragon didn't exist outside the wizard, how could it have its own identity? How could they merge when there was only him?

The Dragon Slayer, and wasn't that another headache inducing thought, was he even considered a Dragon Slayer anymore, leapt to his feet, letting out a snarl of frustration. He needed to think, but it was too hard to do here.

"My son, where are you going?" the red dragon called after him as Natsu took off in the opposite direction of the cave they currently lived in.

"I can't concentrate here. I need trees. So I'm going to find a forest."

Igneel chuckled. They were hidden away in a volcanic mountain region. There would be no forests nearby. "That's a long walk, son."

"I don't care. I need to do this."

Igneel was contemplative. "Alright. Be careful, Natsu. You're in no condition to be getting into fights."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." The pink haired man flashed a grin at his father. "It'll just be a couple of days. And when I come back, you can start training me for real."

Igneel watched him walk away, amused. If nothing else, the boy never lacked confidence. His sheer stubbornness usually won out in the end. Igneel turned his mind towards how to best prepare Natsu for his eventual encounter with the Black Wizard. If Natsu would be prepared to move on when he returned, he must be too.

* * *

It took Natsu over a day to leave the mountainous region behind and another half a day to actually find a forest. He was more annoyed than exhausted at how long it took. Natsu had always had amazing stamina as a Dragon Slayer, and it had improved after he consumed the Ethernano. With the modifications to his magic coils, thirty-six hours of walking didn't even make him sweat. His wings, fiery or dragon, would have gotten him here in four hours.

Being in the forest was soothing for the pink haired man. It was there that he had found Igneel and the dragon had raised him. It was the forest he went to in order to calm down. It was a forest where he found Happy's egg. He felt most at home surrounded by the trees.

Now he could think without any interference.

How was he supposed to become equals with his dragon half? Why wasn't he already? He had already merged with his dragon, giving him the ability to transform into one. How could they be any more equal without him looking like some odd mix of human and dragon all the time? Would this even fix his inability to use magic?

But, Natsu thought grimly, he didn't have any other solutions, so he'd have to at least try.

Meditation was how he got in contact with his inner dragon the first time, so that's what he was going with. The pinkette saw no reason to mess with what worked. He settled himself into a cross legged position, breathing in and out in measured counts, letting the leaves rustling in the wind, the babbling creek just within his enhanced range of hearing, and the various gaits of animals sound in his ear and for the earthy scent of the woods to fill his lungs.

Natsu couldn't say how much time he spent looking inside himself, searching for his now stronger inner dragon. Meditation was probably the hardest skill he would ever learn, if only because he was unable to sit still for long periods of time. Lucy used to kick him out of her bed because he moved around too much in his sleep, but his restlessness never bothered Erza. The warrior had actually called it cute.

After what felt like ages he found himself floating in a sea of blue light, eerily reminiscent of the Ethernano infused Tower of Heaven. And, much like Erza had described it, Natsu felt at peace there.

A light snuffling noise came from behind him. Natsu turned around, dark eyes lying on the sight of his inner dragon. It was not the first time the wizard had laid eyes on the creature, but the incandescent quality to fire toned scales that made the dragon look like it was covered with a sheen of alive, ripping fire took his breath away. There was nothing more magnificent and awe inspiring and dangerous than a dragon.

The Dragon Slayer—was that title even more appropriate now that Natsu had slayed Acnologia or obsolete because his magic wasn't human in nature any more—approached the multicolored dragon.

Said animal acknowledge him when he placed a hand upon its snout by cracking open one golden eye. "Hey there, buddy," Natsu said. "What a mess we've gotten ourselves into, eh?

The dragon opened its other eye, drawing back to peer at the human. Natsu held his gaze, instinctively knowing that his other half was searching for something. Natsu assumed he must have found it, because the dragon snuffed happily and nudged him with his snout.

"Everything's so confusing, big guy. I don't know who I am anymore."

The dragon snorted sardonically in response. Natsu gave him a self-deprecating grin. "I suppose you're right. Magic or not, I'm still Natsu Dragneel." Before he knew it the pinkette was babbling. "What does it matter that my magic's changed? There are so many different kinds of magic. It's just one more to add to the record books. Except no one else will ever have it. I learned to use Dragon Slayer Magic. It should be no problem learning just Dragon Magic. Especially with your help. Cause you won't let me do this alone, right? I'm gonna need your help to protect Erza and Gramps and Happy and Lucy and Gray and everyone else in Fairy Tail. They can't fight Zeref without me. He's too strong for them. Igneel said only I could, though I don't feel the same. I mean, look at me now. Even if I do manage to use magic properly again I'd still be no match for him. The guy's over 400 years old! He might be impossible to beat. But what other choice do I have?"

Natsu's mouth would have continued to run away from him had his inner dragon not forcefully pushed him, causing him to stumble. Once more, the might beast's gold eyes bore into him, and despite not saying a word, the pinkette understood the message his partner conveyed.

Of course Natsu had a choice. He didn't have to fight Zeref. Much like his father had hidden from Acnologia for 400 years, Natsu could run and hide. Defeating Zeref wasn't his responsibility. He was not so unquestioning to just accept that he was the only wizard in Earthland that could defeat the Black Wizard.

But he had turned the situation over in his head time and again. Even if Natsu wasn't the one destined to take down Zeref, he was the only one that stood a chance against him currently. In the end, it didn't really matter how strong Zeref was so long as the he stood up to him. Because the man had declared war on Fairy Tail when he sent Acnologia to their sacred island. Blatantly attacking the guild like that meant Zeref was his enemy, so Natsu was not going to run away by himself. No way.

He was going to fight. He was going to destroy the Black Wizard.

Because that's what being a wizard, being part of Fairy Tail meant. Protecting the bonds they had created, fighting side by side, and defending one another when they could not defend themselves.

Natsu climbed back to his feet, laughing delighted. "Che. Spending so much time worrying about the unimportant stuff. I was acting just like Lucy. Thanks for setting me straight, partner."

The dragon huff smugly, the proud gleam in his eyes matching the toothy grin.

"My sentiments, exactly. I've wasted enough time worrying. It's time to fight."

The dragon roared in approval. The flames engulfed Natsu, but to the pinkette it felt like he was being tickled. More importantly, he could feel his other half's magic flooding his core. This was what he was missing. Now he and his inner dragon were of one mind.

Natsu opened his eyes languidly, feeling whole for the first time in months. With a mischievous sparkle, he cupped both hands in front of his mouth and blew. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The Dragon Slayer was thrown on his back from the force of his attack. Fire crackled as it consumed the tree in front of him. In seconds, there was nothing left but ash.

He couldn't stop the large smile from breaking out on his face. "I was never good with control anyway."


	4. Chapter 4

**Was anyone else shocked by where Igneel's been this whole time? Anyway, I don't own Fairy Tail. There's another note at the bottom and I would really appreciate it if you all would take the time to read it.**

* * *

Natsu knew he was dreaming. The sheer monstrosity that was Acnologia was a huge clue. But, despite knowing it was nothing more than a dream, the panic set it. Adrenaline flooded his veins, leading to a sharp increase in his sensory abilities. Already enhanced to levels befitting a dragon, his hearing became more acute, his eyesight even sharper, and his nose was distinguishing between hundreds of scents all at once.

This was not the first time he had dreamed about the black dragon. No. The dreams had first started after his brief connecting of spirits or conscious or whatever it was when Igneel spoke to him during the Tower of Heaven fiasco.

Then his dreams had been more nightmare like. Full of an all-consuming fear and terror that gripped him so tightly he couldn't even draw breath let alone attempt to run. Natsu dreamt of failing. That dream always caused him to wake, trembling and clothes soaked with his sweat, eyes instinctively darting, searching for his mate.

Erza's death was his greatest fear. She was never present in his dreams, but that didn't stop the Dragon slayer from worrying that Acnologia would kill her. It was common amongst dragons, centuries ago when their numbers were still thousands strong. The strongest male dragons fought over potential mates. And if one male slaughtered another, he was entitled the slain dragon's mate.

Maybe it was an irrational fear. Acnologia wanted nothing to do with humans. In fact, he would have been content to simply wipe them all out, so Natsu doubted the beast would have held a grudge against him and personally gone after Erza.

But telling himself that his fear was illogical didn't stop Natsu from feeling it.

Far from it. Even with Acnologia dead, the pinkette still dreamt about him. The endless other ways their fight could have ended. Erza returning mid-battle, her armor no match for the might of the most fearsome dragon to ever exist. Fairy Tail not being fast enough to get off Tenrou Island, which the black behemoth would destroy with a single roar.

Natsu would eventually wake, passing off his slight shaking as anticipation so that Igneel wouldn't press for details. If he lost control during training his father never said a word. Simply instructed him until he reached a level the red dragon was pleased with.

Learning to control his wild flames was definitely a challenge. The Dragon Slayer had never needed it before, but his magic had never been this destructive either. His fire burned at least three times hotter than normal. It was practically alive, he thought, watching how the flames licked tree limbs and leapt between the branches.

He and Igneel often argued over his training. Natsu had thought that he'd be allowed to return to Magnolia since he was capable of directing his magic to be used as he willed it. It only sprang to his defense unnecessarily when his attention was elsewhere.

Igneel disagreed. His father had put his foot down, figuratively and literally to prevent Natsu from running off on his own. Softly, he had said that Natsu was a danger. Without total control over his magic, it would spark and ignite if there was a chance of him being injured.

It even charred mosquitos. Not that he was complaining about a sure fire bug repellant.

But the last thing Natsu wanted was for one of his friends to receive third degree burns for slapping him on the back happily. So Natsu did what he did best. He knuckled down and thought of nothing but controlling his unruly power.

Igneel roared a pure burst of air. The force of the rushing air snuffed out the dancing flames.

"Again."

Natsu acknowledged the order by once more calling upon his magic. Fire immediately curled around his extended fists. He was supposed to be hitting the bullseye of a roughly carved target ten times in a row.

The Fire Dragon Slayer had thought it would be a laughably easy assignment. However, he did not take into account just how small the bullseye was. If he wasn't precise, Igneel called him out on it and he had to start from zero again. When he missed completely, a tree canopy assuredly caught fire.

With a deep breathe to steady himself, he began the exercise for the six hundred and twenty-ninth time.

* * *

Nighttime was Natsu's favorite part of the routine that had been established. He would sprawl on his back, gazing at the endless array of stars as Igneel shared tales of his life before the dragon civil war that decimated them and the consequent hunting of dragons to near extinction by the humans they had trusted with their magic.

"I wish I could see that," he said, yawning afterwards.

"One day you will, my son." Natsu barely registered his father's words for the pink haired man was already asleep.

* * *

For a year Igneel kept a watchful eye on Natsu so that the young man in question wouldn't run home before he was ready. He would grumble and complain and try to argue that his magical control couldn't get any better.

To that, Igneel had replied that, even if he was back to his old standards, that it was not enough to face Zeref. That had shut Natsu up.

He didn't understand why he had to train in isolation, but he was prepared to spend a year or two training continuously if it meant he could protect the rest of his guild when the time came.

Still, semblance of understanding or otherwise, Natsu took the first opportunity Igneel gave him, a whole day off, to fly back to Magnolia. It was most definitely not what his father had in mind, but Natsu didn't plan on sharing where he went.

With a quick stop in the port town of Hargeon to buy a cloak with a cowl to cover his trademark and unique hair color, Natsu was home.

Hood up, he carefully scented the air, praying that Erza was currently at the guild and not on a mission. Her scent was permanently engrained in his memory; steel and strawberry.

He caught her scent, along with that of fresh snow and ice which belonged to Gray and Lucy's otherworldly spiritual one, masked by the apricot shampoo and body wash she loved. There was also a distinctive scent of cats, which meant Happy and Carla and Wendy's, which simultaneously was that of a breath of fresh mountain air with a subtle hint of ozone.

His friends were sitting at an outside table of a café. Natsu claimed a seat three tables away and ordered the first thing on the menu his eyes saw, a plate of cross cut ribs with a smoky chipotle sauce. His black eyes stared at the table, drinking in the sight of friends he had not seen in over a year.

All of them appeared happy and healthy. They were just like he remembered, loud. Gray still wasn't wearing a shirt, mostly likely the reason for their eating outdoors in the sweltering heat. Lucy's face practically shone with joy, and after only a year, Natsu could easily see the woman Wendy would grow to become. He only hoped she held onto her sweet personality unlike her Edolas counterpart.

The pinkette spent the longest time looking at Erza. The Queen of the Fairies looked . . . peaceful. Yes, that was the word he was looking for. Content.

She was dressed in casual wear, her white ruffled blouse with a blue necktie and blue pleated skirt. Her brown eyes radiated warmth as she conversed with Wendy, who was listening with rapt attention to stories of Team Natsu's previous exploits, most of which inevitably ended in disaster or the destruction of public property.

"Natsu-san sounds amazing," the blue haired girl exclaimed. "I wish I had gotten a chance to know him. I barely had time when I first came to the guild. It'd be nice to talk to another Dragon Slayer."

"What about Gajeel?" Lucy asked. "He's a Dragon Slayer, too."

Wendy then turned bright red. "He's not very approachable," she squeaked.

Erza gifted the young girl with a warm smile. "Natsu's a knucklehead. I love him, don't get me wrong. But there are times where I would swear he wasn't in possession of a brain. But he'll be excited to talk with you when he gets back."

"You think so? I just want to thank him. Grandeeney came to visit me almost a year ago. Said the dragons no longer had to hide from Acnologia and all those that disappeared eight years ago would be reemerging. She's gone off to find the rest of them."

"Trust me. Natsu's very easy to get along with. Just don't let him talk you into anything."

Natsu ate his meal quietly, letting the rest of their conversation wash over him. What with his leaving right after dealing with Oracion Seis, traveling to Edolas, and then participating in the S-Class trials, he hadn't had time to talk with Wendy. Maybe he would challenge her when he finally returned. Natsu loved a good fight. Erza, Gray, and Laxus were on the top of his list of favorite opponents. Gajeel had been added as well when he joined Fairy Tail. He wouldn't pass up the chance to fight against another Dragon Slayer.

And there was so much he could teach her. Wendy was only thirteen, making her five when the dragons vanished into thin air on July 7, X-777. She would have barely had any time to learn Dragon Slayer magic from Grandeeney.

Natsu looked up when Erza cleared her throat. "I know he's not here right now, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate." He was confused until the Re-Quip mage picked up her beverage. "So, a toast. Happy Birthday, Natsu."

With a chorus of "happy birthday," the rest of the table raised their drinks and clinked their cups together.

Natsu blinked, momentarily stunned. Was it his birthday already? He had no way of knowing what day it was so far from civilization. He turned eighteen today. In December, Erza would turn twenty. With a pang, he realized he would miss several more birthdays to come.

The emotional tidal wave he was experiencing was so strong that he needed to leave, to take a walk to clear his mind. So occupied by his guilt of not being there and regret for everything he would miss, Natsu didn't notice a scarlet haired figure glance at him when he stood and joined the bustling, crowded street.

Nor did he catch the knowing smile. He should have known, just like Erza never escaped his notice, she, too, always knew when he was near.

* * *

When he returned to the mountains he was met by Igneel's probing gaze. There was a light in his eyes that told Natsu that his father knew exactly where he had gone. The dragon had probably given him the day off for just that purpose.

"Happy birthday, Natsu. Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked, confirming the pinkette's theory.

Natsu hadn't even known he was worried about how the rest of the guild was fairing, but it didn't surprise him that Igneel did. For a dragon, he was very knowledgeable about humans. It eased his mind to know that his friends were happy and healthy and most of all alive. Fairy Tail was flourishing. He had caught sight of several new faces when he stopped by the guild hall after running from the café.

"Yeah, dad, I did. Thanks for that. What's the next step?"

If Igneel had eyebrows, Natsu could imagine the expression he gave him was equivalent to a human cocking an eyebrow. "You said I don't know enough to beat Zeref yet. That means you've got more to teach me. I'm ready, so what's next?"

* * *

**Alright. I've notice this little companion story hasn't garnered as much interest as my other two stories, and honestly, I'm at a lost for how to write seven years of training without it sounding dull an repetitive or essentially just say one year later over and over. **

**So, I thought about wrapping it up in the next chapter. Is that alright with the 67 people who are following this? Or do you want it to keep going? If you do, I'm open to suggestions about what you want to see happen.**


	5. Chapter 5

**By general consensus, this will be the last chapter. As such, it is longer than a typically chapter and I think you'll like a few of the surprises I added.**

* * *

**X-785**

The novelty of sharing his mind, soul, and body with a dragon had yet to fade, even after a year. Natsu thought it never would. He wanted to dare Gray to find something cooler, because what could top being one with a being as majestic as a dragon?

His training had intensified after his visit to Magnolia in preparation for his eventual confrontation with Zeref. The pinkette didn't believe that fire counted as alive and was fairly certain that Zeref's magic wouldn't be able to snuff it out, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Igneel had him concentrating on wide range attacks, and ones that Natsu could use long distance preferably. Most wizards with magic like Zeref, like that Zalty guy from Galuna Island, couldn't effect or manipulate other wizards or humans.

But Zeref, considered the strongest and most evil wizard ever, had the power to make Igneel concerned. He had mastered Black Magic, even if he lacked control. If Zeref could kill Natsu with his magic, well, it would probably be another 400 years before another wizard arose strong enough to combat him.

Luckily, the scarf that his father had given him was supposed to be able to protect Natsu from Death Magic. But the Dragon Slayer wasn't eager to test it.

It did make him wonder where Igneel had gotten it and what kind of magic it was made of if it was able to protect him from a dark wizard of Zeref's caliber. He definitely wanted to get a hold of one for Erza.

Zeref also possessed Living Magic, an ancient and long forgotten form of magic that let him breathe life into objects, which was how the mage created his demons. Natsu wasn't worried about Zeref using Living Magic. He planned to keep the dark wizard so busy defending himself that he wouldn't have time to bring demons to life. And if he did manage, Natsu was confident he could deal with them.

Natsu had grumbled about the change to his fighting style. He had always been much more involved in his fights. Right in the thick of things, swinging punches and kicks enhanced by fire and using his Fire Dragon's Roar.

When he wasn't training or adding new attacks to his repertoire, he was talking to his dragon half, who he affectionately named Nagneel. Natsu knew Happy would always have his back and be his wings, but it was nothing like having wings of his own. His dragon wings were much stronger than the fire ones he created to get back to Magnolia after the Tower of Heaven.

Whenever he needed to take a step back and relax, he shifted to Nagneel and took to the skies.

As much as he loved having his father back and learning new magic that meant he would totally kick Gray's naked ass the next time they clashed, Natsu crawled into bed each night and dreamed about when he would be done.

His visit to Magnolia on his birthday had comforted him, seeing that Erza, Gray, and Lucy were happy and safe with his own eyes. Knowing that they were safe was a load of his mind. Without having to worry about how they were faring with his second disappearance, Natsu was able to focus on what Igneel had to teach him. Currently, it was all that kept him going, the desire to return to Fairy Tail and all of his friends. And while the pinkette knew what he was doing was necessary, he wanted nothing more than to go home.

**X-786**

Rather accidentally, Natsu had stumbled upon the coolest discovery. He didn't have to completely transform into Nagneel.

Igneel had wanted him to learn to improvise. Natsu was really good at finding creative ways to fight against other people's magic. He did it when he fought Erigor, using his flames to suck in his wind. And there were multiple occasions on Galuna Island, like using his roar to disperse the acid jelly or his wing attack to force his arm through to punch that guy that nullified magic. And during the 24 hour Endurance Road Race where he used his flames as rocket boosters on his feet.

The point was Natsu knew that he was capable of improvising. His father had calmly acknowledge that he could when Natsu pointed out several dozen instances, and then counter with it often took him a long time to find that creative solution. Time which he spent uselessly attacking and generally losing the fight. He would need to react quicker if he wanted to defeat Zeref.

The dragon's solution? Dropping Natsu over the edge of a cliff and forbidding him from using his fire wings or transforming to Nagneel to fly to safety.

Needless to say, the pinkette had panicked. He flailed wildly for several hundred feet, fingernails scrabbling uselessly at the rock wall and chipping painfully. He actually tore one off with that stunt.

"DAMN YOU, IGNEEL!" he shouted. How the hell was he supposed to prevent himself from becoming a pancake at the bottom of the cliff if he wasn't allowed to use either version of his wings?

After one of his fingernails had been ripped clean off, Natsu found himself morbidly wishing for claws which would find much better purchase on the cliff's rock face.

And just like that, his left arm, from the elbow, had morphed into Nagneel's front leg.

Natsu blinked, astonished, unable to believe that he was staring at a dragon limb. Then his brain kicked in and he remembered he was still in danger falling to his death. Nagneel's talons sunk easily into the rock. Gravity continued to pull Natsu down a few dozen feet, leaving four long gouge marks behind.

The Dragon Slayer laughed jubilantly. How was that for the element of surprise? No one would expect that. One second it would be a fist aiming for their face, and the next it would be a dragon's claw.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get his right arm to transform similarly, so it was an awkward climb back to the top of the cliff. Igneel had evidently gotten bored waiting for him because he appeared to be sleeping.

The red dragon cracked an eye open when his son stormed over, taking in the partial transformation and eying it disapprovingly.

"I said you couldn't utilize Nagneel."

"No. You said I couldn't fully transform into Nagneel. This," Natsu said pointedly, holding up his draconic hand, "is only a partial transformation." Igneel snorted, but the young man took that as a win because he didn't refute him.

"Good job," Igneel congratulated. "Now do it again."

"What?"

Natsu was blindsided by his father's tail, which whipped around to send him careening off the cliff again.

"DAMN YOU, IGNEEL! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

**X-787**

For the better part of a year, Natsu held a grudge against his father for that stunt. After three years of nothing but training, the Dragon Slayer decided he needed a break.

So he took off on a short sabbatical, looking for Zeref.

Natsu's ability had grown so much in the last three years and he felt, that even if he couldn't win, he'd at least be able to hold his own against the Black Wizard. He had argued with Igneel, who was insisting that he would know when the time came to face Zeref, that he needed to know how he matched up against the man. If only to see what he would be up against and what he still needed to work on.

The dragon had been unhappy about his decision, but didn't stop him from leaving.

And so, Natsu searched high and low for signs of the mage. Since he didn't have an exact idea of what he was looking for, Natsu decided Zeref's demons were a good starting point.

Stories of the vicious demons were easy to follow, for they never failed to leave chaos, destruction, and loss in their wake. But none of the towns he visited said any mention of their master. While in the Northern Continent, Natsu even stumbled on Brago in the Land of Isvan, where Gray lived before Deliora came along and razed it to the ground.

The pinkette spent a few days there. It was truly unbelievable the level of destruction Zeref could cause. Seeing the abandon wreckage that was Brago, Natsu wondered if anyone was up to the task of defeating Zeref. If one of his demons could cause this much destruction, how did a wizard stand a chance?

Natsu didn't actually know any way to beat a demon. He had just thought he would beat them into submission like he, Gray, Lucy, and Erza had done with Lullaby. But he doubted that would take down a demon like Deliora.

He wasn't capable of using Ul's Iced Shell, nor would he want to. Although he wondered if it would work on Zeref. He had called Gray a coward when he tried to use Iced Shell on Lyon, but was it really cowardice if it saved the world?

Natsu understood the basics of the spell. It used the caster's body to encase the target in ice, and the caster's life force continuously drained him of his life. Even if it didn't kill someone who was immortal, Natsu couldn't imagine anyone crazy enough to want to release Zeref from an ice prison. At least, not anymore since Jellal had come to his senses.

Well, it was a moot point anyway, he supposed. He was a Dragon Slayer, not an Ice-Make wizard, so Iced Shell was quite out of his realm of possibilities.

Natsu left Brago more determined than he arrived. Seeing firsthand the destruction of the demon that had impacted Gray's life so dramatically sparked a fire in him. He would see Zeref destroyed to prevent incidences like these.

**X-788**

Natsu returned to Igneel in the summer, which marked the start of his fourth year away from his mate. By now he was feeling the separation keenly and was anxious to get back to her.

At this point, he didn't think there was anything left for him to learn. His and Igneel's lessons had devolved into outright fights where Natsu tried to overpower him without the assistance of Nagneel. The Dragon Slayer had thought that a grossly unfair stipulation but had long since learned that more often than not that Igneel would not be swayed by his opinion. .

He was starting to wonder how long this exile (which was what he had labeled it in his mind) was going to last. Maybe if he beat Igneel once his father would acknowledge that it was time to return to Fairy Tail.

It would be several months before Natsu finally manage to get one over on his father and get the dragon to admit defeat.

"That was so cool!"

The pinkette landed in a crouch, but quickly gained his feet to find whoever had just shouted. The culprit was a teen, fifteen by the looks, slim with white blond hair.

"Are you a Dragon Slayer too?"

Natsu blinked, then scented the air subtly. The other wizard's scent hung in the air, confirming that he was a Dragon Slayer. Natsu was surprised at himself. With his enhanced senses he didn't think there was a wizard on Earthland capable of sneaking up on him.

That was a lesson learned. Never be so distracted by the enemy in front of you that you forget to watch out for others coming from behind you.

Not that Natsu thought the younger Dragon Slayer to be a threat.

"Yeah. Taught by Igneel here," he said, thumbing at the dragon. "Who are you?"

"White Dragon Slayer. Aren't you a little old to be learning a new magic?"

Natsu snorted. "Not a new magic. I learned Fire Dragon Slaying Magic from Igneel when I was younger."

"But all the dragons disappeared in X-777."

"Yes," said Natsu slowly, not understanding what the kid was trying to get at. "And when they came back a couple years ago Igneel brought me here to continue training."

"What guild are you a part of?" he asked suspiciously. "The only Dragon Slayers I know of are either in Sabertooth or Fairy Tail."

Natsu went to twist his upper body and show of the red Fairy Tail symbol emblazoned on his right shoulder, but thought better of it at the last minute. There really wasn't any reason for him to tell this kid, whose name he didn't know, what guild he belonged to.

He shrugged. "Never joined a guild," he lied glibly. "Wandered the Continents after Igneel disappeared looking for him. Haven't stepped a foot into civilization in years." And that last part wasn't a lie. Aside from very small towns across the Northern and Western Continents, he hadn't been anywhere remotely civilized since his birthday four years ago.

Behind him Igneel snorted, a towering plume of smoke rising. The blond cast him a wary eye and took a few steps backwards. "I need to get back to the guild. Maybe I'll talk to you another day."

And just like that, the kid was strolling away. Natsu exchanged a look with his father. Neither of them were bothered by the blond's exit, although it was rather sudden.

"We had better not linger here."

Natsu agreed, so father and son relocated further into the mountainous region. Natsu would think of the blond teen again until they fought at the Grand Magic Games.

**X-789**

The Fire Dragon Slayer's twenty-third birthday came and went unnoticed, that's how full his days were.

Natsu's training seemed to be never ending. There was always one more thing Ingeel felt he needed to know in order to be successful.

He had pestered the dragon for an exact date of when they would be done. Natsu thought he might be able to bear with this for a little bit longer if he knew how long his training would last. But not even he wanted to spend the rest of his life training.

There would be no point to learning all these new abilities if he never got the chance to use them.

But the only answered he received was soon. It was better than all the times Igneel had answered that Natsu would know when the time came, but it still wasn't enough.

That night, as he lay awake unable to sleep, he searched the stars. Sometimes he amused himself by looking for the constellations that correlated with Lucy's spirits, remembering all the times Virgo had sprung out of a hole in the ground asking to be punished or how angry Aquarius was the one time the Celestial Wizard summoned her from a water fountain.

A white light streaked across the sky and Natsu made a wish to return home soon.

**X-790**

Natsu began hearing rumors of Zeref being on the move during his sixth year with Igneel. The pinkette had jumped at the chance to investigate, convinced that all these rumors cropping up meant that the time he had been waiting for finally arrived.

Despite increasing whispers about the Black Wizard, he couldn't find any concrete evidence of the man himself.

The year was a long one. Natsu spent more and more time chasing after words and finding nothing for his efforts. Zeref was just as elusive as he was three years previously.

He wasn't comforted when Igneel said that it would be soon. And he definitely did not vanish for a week to sulk about the injustice of it all.

**X-791**

Natsu was not ignorant to the irony of this situation.

When a black haired man in a high collared red robe and gold trim with a toga draped around his torso calmly walked into their camp, Natsu knew immediately who it was. Who else would have the balls to stand before the wizard who had become famous for slaying Acnologia?

At first sight, he couldn't help but think he looked awfully young for someone over 400 years old.

It would figure when he wasn't actively hunting for Zeref that the Black Wizard would just walk up to him. He also didn't miss the fact that it had been seven years since he started preparing for this moment. The world, it seemed, just loved its sevens.

"Natsu," the dark haired main greeted softly, crying. Natsu was creeped out by the tears and the warm smile that accompanied the words. If the situation was reversed, and Natsu was facing the man supposedly prophesized to end him, he would not be greeting him like they were best friends. "You've grown."

The pink haired man was officially confused. Zeref acted like they had met before, like they knew each other. But Natsu knew for a fact that he didn't recognize the other man.

"I've been wanting to see you," Zeref continued.

At that, Natsu couldn't contain the rage that was building up. He had spent the better part of seven years scouring the Continents for this man with nothing to show for it, and Zeref just shows himself before him.

Natsu punched him squarely in the face, but Zeref bounced off the ground and landed on his feet unfazed and unharmed.

"I had no reason to come to this age," he starts conversationally. "I'm not an ally to anyone. I'm not an enemy to anyone. I just wish to die, to atone for all my sins. But you are not ready to kill me, Natsu."

And wonder of wonders if Zeref didn't sound heartbroken when he uttered that last line.

"Maybe when next we met you will be ready. I will find you again, Natsu."

"I'm not waiting another seven years for you to show up you bastard!" Natsu roared, charging forward.

"No!" Zeref shouted. "Stay back, Natsu. I don't want to hurt you." Waves of black magic started spinning around the mage who crouched to the ground, gripping at his head as if he was trying to keep it from falling apart. It spun for a few seconds before exploding out.

For a moment, all Natsu knew was the Death Magic that wrapped around him. And then it dissipated and he was alone, standing in the center of a circle of land that was blackened and withered and dead for fifty feet in every direction.

Zeref was nowhere to be found.

Dazedly, Natsu stumbled back to Igneel, clutching his now blackened scarf. Igneel took one look at him, specifically the scarf still hanging around his neck.

"So Zeref has finally showed himself." Natsu nodded. "Then it is time for you to go home."

"Why didn't you just tell me we were waiting for him to find us instead of me finding him?"

"Would you have believed me if I said that you would not be able to find him?" Igneel asked him. The pink haired man shook his head ruefully. He would have refused that finding one man would have been impossible and spent even more time searching for Zeref than preparing to defeat him.

Not that his seven years of training seemed to do him any good just now. Zeref hadn't been remotely hurt by his punch and his magic had knocked Natsu clean off his feet. If not for his scarf, Natsu was positive he would have been as dead as the landscape around him.

"He said I wasn't ready to kill him."

"And you are not," Igneel agreed. Natsu opened his mouth, ready to yell that there had been no point in all of the training he had done if he wasn't strong enough to kill Zeref, but his father didn't give him the opportunity to speak. "But you will be. Having the power to kill and being able to kill are two very different things, Natsu.

"Do not trouble yourself with today, Natsu. When the time comes—"

"I will know. I know." He finished.

Well, Natsu supposed he had what he wanted, a chance to see how he compared to the infamous Black Wizard. And Zeref had promised to find him again, so there was no point in hanging around here anymore.

"Good luck, my son." With a powerful wing beat, Igneel launched himself into the air. Natsu unfurled his own wings and set a course for Magnolia.

He was finally returning home.


End file.
